The estate in Villanova was once the private home of John and Chara Haas, one of Philadelphia’s most philanthropic families. They loved it so much, they wanted the public to enjoy it when they were gone.

“This is an absolutely incredible landscape and really has been sort of a secret,” said Ethan Kauffman, who as Stoneleigh director oversees the restoration. “After two years of working on this property, we are thrilled, thrilled, to open it.”

Much of the focus is on native plants and original architecture.

“When you first come in, you walk under this really funky wooden lych gate that more than 100 years old, and we have over one mile of accessible pathways,” Ethan said.

The Circle Garden is surrounded by 80-foot tall trees, many of them among the tallest in the state. “You see all this stonework that is 100 years old and in amazing shape,” Ethan said.